CIMM – Francophone Immigration – October 21, 2025

Key Messages

• We are actively promoting the economic development and vitality of Francophone minority communities, as our government works to restore their demographic weight in Canada.
• In 2024, Canada exceeded the target of 6% French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec, with 7.21% (30,550 admissions).
• IRCC surpassed its targets for French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec two years in a row, reaching 4.7% in 2023 (target was 4.4%).
• This immigration supports regional and rural economic development across the country, helps address key labour shortages in Francophone minority communities, and contributes to the attraction and integration of newcomers within these communities.
• We are building on this momentum, and have increased annual French-speaking permanent resident admissions targets in the current Immigration Levels Plan.

Key Facts and Figures

• Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2025-2027 set a target for French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec of 8.5% in 2025, followed by notional targets of 9.5% in 2026 and 10% in 2027.
• The government is committed to establishing a 12% target for Francophone immigration outside of Quebec by 2029.

Measures to Achieve Francophone Targets

• To achieve these ambitious targets, we have implemented numerous measures, including leveraging the Express Entry system and launching pilot programs to attract and retain skilled workers and students in Francophone minority communities.
• Express Entry prioritizes the selection of French-proficient candidates, both by awarding points for French proficiency through its ranking system, and through a dedicated French-proficiency category.
  • Express Entry is the primary lever for supporting the French-speaking permanent resident admissions target. From 2023 to October 2025 (when the most recent French-proficient round was conducted), over 61,700 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residency through the French-proficiency category in Express Entry.
• The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a key driver to support increased French-speaking permanent resident admissions, among other regional economic immigration programs. All jurisdictions, with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, use the PNP as a core pathway for Francophone immigration to support FMCs and their labour force needs across Canada. Some provinces and territories operate dedicated streams that target Francophone immigrants and many prioritize the selection of French-speakers, thereby contributing to the economic and social development of Francophone communities. In 2024, the PNP accounted for 12% (3,650) of total French-speaking admissions outside Quebec.
• The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot was launched in January 2025 and partners with six Francophone minority communities in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia to attract and retain skilled workers by providing a dedicated pathway to permanent residence to help fill critical labour market needs. Each community is represented by a local economic development organization that identifies labour gaps, works with trusted employers, and issues certificates to apply for permanent residence to candidates who have a valid job offer, meet program eligibility, and intend to reside in the community. The program supports long-term retention by working with local organizations—including employers, settlement agencies, and Francophone service providers—that offer direct, on-the-ground support to help newcomers and their families successfully integrate and stay.
• The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot was launched on August 26, 2024, in partnership with French-language and bilingual post-secondary learning institutions outside of Quebec. It aims to make access to the program fairer for French-speaking international students from regions where the study permit approval rate is generally lower, namely Africa, the Middle East and the Americas through an exemption from having to demonstrate that they will leave Canada at the end of their temporary stay and a required financial threshold adjusted to the municipality of the institution. Participants are also eligible for a permanent resident pathway upon graduation, and have access to settlement services while they are studying to help them integrate successfully into their communities.
• The addition of 10 new Welcoming Francophone Communities in 2025 for a total of 24 across Canada will support the integration process of French-speaking newcomers. These communities offer services in French and help newcomers settle and stay in the community, build connections between newcomers and local residents, and raise awareness and create a welcoming environment where newcomers feel they belong.

If pressed on additional measures to increase Francophone immigration:

• The Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028 includes a historic investment of $137.2M in new funds, in addition to $80.2M in ongoing funds from previous action plans, for a total of $217.4M over five years to strengthen IRCC’s actions to achieve ambitious Francophone objectives. Specifically, these initiatives will:
  • Increase current targeted promotional activities and expand them in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, which will be critical to increasing our inventories and the number of French-speaking admissions;
  • Leverage the expertise of the Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration to help increase our Francophone immigration levels by exploring new and promising practices from promotion to retention of immigrants;
  • Ensure a Francophone lens is more systematically integrated into our economic programs to support labour market shortages across Canada; analysis of temporary and permanent economic programs with the intention of optimizing the selection of Francophone immigrants;
  • Develop a series of interconnected, targeted initiatives that will form a Corridor to recruit French and French-immersion teachers to address a vital labour market need;
  • Consolidate the Francophone Integration Pathway and language training opportunities to address specific community needs and clienteles, such as immigrant women; and,
  • Strengthen capacity to oversee and monitor IRCC’s actions in Francophone immigration.

12% Target Outside of Quebec

If pressed on the commitment to establish a 12% target for French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside of Quebec by 2029:

• The Government has committed to establishing a 12% target for Francophone immigration outside Quebec by 2029.
• Targets are developed according to parameters set out in the Policy on Francophone Immigration. They are expected to be ambitious, yet realistic and feasible, and informed by evidence and partner perspectives.
• The Policy calls for a gradual increase in admissions over the long term to allow for progress toward restoring and increasing the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities.

Francophone Immigration and the Economy

If pressed that increasing Francophone immigration compromises economic objectives by bringing in individuals with lower skill levels:

• Francophone immigrants bring a wide range of skills and new connections to potential trade opportunities that are vital to Canada’s long-term prosperity. A diverse, linguistically competent workforce is a competitive advantage in a global economy. Strengthening Francophone immigration aligns with Canada’s goals of sustainable growth, regional and rural economic development, and social inclusion within Francophone minority communities.
• Express Entry is the primary source of French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec. A French proficient category selects French speakers who are also in high skilled occupations and meet the Federal High Skilled program requirements. As such, all French-proficient candidates selected through Express Entry are well-positioned to economically establish in Canada.
• In addition to Express Entry and the PNP, which play a key role in attracting large numbers of French-speaking candidates, the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot is designed to be highly flexible and responsive to the distinct labour market needs of each community. Given the small size of participating FMCs, the impact of each admission, including in priority sectors such as health care and construction, is significant.
  • Early implementation has shown encouraging results. The pilot is testing a community and employer-driven approach to assess whether more localized engagement leads to improved outcomes in settlement, integration, and long-term retention of French-speaking newcomers.